2174: Chatham Islands: A Land Apart 13 March 2021

Day 1: Saturday 13th March

Fog blanketed Bluff and Invercargill as guests and our expedition team descended on The Ascott Hotel to await transfer to Bluff to join the Spirit of Enderby. Once through formalities it was a short bus ride to the Port of Bluff where we boarded the ship. After the crazy year we have had with COVID-19, there was a real feeling of anticipation as we all looked forward to the voyage.

The sun had burnt off the last of the fog, and it was brilliant sunshine, calm winds and the sea was like a mill pond. The ropes were cast off, and we set sail on our adventure to the Antipodes, Bounty and Chatham Islands. With such fantastic conditions, we all crowded the decks, enjoying sailing out of the harbour, including watching the transfer of the pilot onto his launch to return him to Bluff.

The sea was so calm, even the large flocks of Sooty Shearwater were struggling to fly, with the birds in large rafts drifting on the water. A number of Stewart Island Shag were also seen, and well out to sea, two White-fronted Tern were resting on large floating pieces of bull kelp.

After an excellent lunch, Expedition Leader Chris Todd welcomed everyone on board, and introduced the rest of the expedition staff. Firstly, and most importantly the Chefs, Lance and Lindzy. Followed by our expedition doctor Dr Tom, Cruise Director Julia, and Cruise Director in training Holly, and guides Katja, Matt and Mike. This was followed by a lifeboat drill, with all guests, expedition team and crew collecting their life jackets from their cabins and climbing aboard the two lifeboats carried by the ship.

Afterwards, with such perfect conditions everyone enjoyed being outside, getting used to ship life, and enjoying the wildlife on offer. Seabirds were a little quiet with so little wind, but there was a great display by a large pod of Dusky Dolphins, with awesome views from all over the ship.

After a hearty dinner, guests turned in ready for a full day at sea tomorrow as we head southeast towards the Antipodes Islands.

Day 2: Sunday 14th March

We awoke in the morning to rougher sea conditions, with a 4-metre swell running and 30 knot winds, with the swell on the starboard quarter, the ship had a bit of a roll on.

With a full day at sea, three lectures were held. Katja introduced guests to the Southern Ocean and the islands which lie in this wild and spectacular part of the world. Matt provided a summary of the birdlife we are likely to encounter throughout the trip, especially the numerous oceanic seabirds. Chris provided a brief history of the Antipodes and Bounty Islands, our first two destinations which have a fascinating history of exploration during the sealing and whaling era.

The birding was excellent, with 10 species of albatross seen, three species of prion, three of storm petrel and a good collection of shearwaters and other petrels. Enough to keep the huddle of mad keen birders, and more novice birders, entertained for the day.

The Captain altered course slightly for each meal, so the ship was running with the sea more to ease the roll – or at least to try. Thanks to the chefs working in difficult circumstances we still had a supreme meal. Despite seasickness, each meal had a good turnout, and by dinner most people were starting to get their “sea legs”.

Day 3: Monday 15th March

We had made good time overnight, and in the morning our first destination was in sight – the Antipodes Islands. At daybreak, the number and diversity of seabirds around the boat was staggering and was a real spectacle to see.

Fortunately the sea conditions had eased somewhat overnight, and the Captain brought the ship in around Albatross Point and dropped anchor in behind Leeward Island – the island living up to its name providing us with a great anchorage for the day’s activities.

After breakfast, it was our first Zodiac cruise of the expediton. All five Zodiacs were launched, and we headed off to explore the Antipodes. Firstly, making our way up north through the passage separating the main island from Leeward, and up to Alert Bay (the Alert was a ship out of Bluff which transported the early scientific parties to the Island, and Captain Alex Black would often anchor here). Wind conditions meant we turned south here and followed the coast into Ringdove Bay, exploring the nooks and crannies, and impressive sea caves along the way.

Good numbers of Erect-crested Penguin were found in small colonies along the coast, with most birds moulting. Small numbers of Rockhopper Penguins were also found mixed in with the colonies. A number of the endemic Antipodes Parakeet were seen, with pretty good views had. Reischek’s Parakeets were also seen, but as these birds tend to stay away from the coast, they proved a little harder to get great views off. But still brilliant to see both parakeets and penguins.

While out on the Zodiacs the wind had picked up, which made re-embarking the Spirit of Enderby a little more tricky, and reminder of why we are so grateful for our skilled Russian Crew who help us on and off the ship. With everyone safely back on board it was time for a brew, and then lunch.

With the weather forecast for high winds and large seas, it was decided to spend the afternoon at anchor, then start our course for the Bounties after dinner. Katja gave a lecture on the effects of climate change, and what a place to fully comprehend these impacts as so many albatross and penguin species are so heavily impacted. With some free time, guests headed out on the deck, captured more photos, and continued to learn more about the seabirds around us. As the afternoon turned evening, the number of White-chinned and Grey Petrel and Antipodean Albatross kept increasing – really driving home how many birds really rely on these islands as their home.

After another great dinner, we pulled anchor and slowly cruised passed Leeward Island, heading North by Reef Point and Hut Cover (the site of the DOC research hut) and on passed Bollon’s Island. A full day spent at the Antipodes Island will last in our memories, an incredible island - geologically, botanically and biologically. Simply stunning!

Day 4: Tuesday 16th March

Our trusty expedition vessel had made good time during the night and we woke 50 nautical miles from Bounty Island, however, one would not have known this as we were blanketed in fog. A stark reminder of how the ancient mariners had to cope with far more challenging conditions than us with all our high-tech electronics!

During breakfast the Bounty Islands slowly revealed themselves. A low-lying cluster of granite islands, the whole chain is only 5-kilometres long and scattered in three clusters. The Captain brought the ship between the Centre Group, up to the Main Group, sheltering between Depot Island and Ruatara Island. With a rough sea running it was decided to do a ship's cruise around the islands.

The islands are home to New Zealand’s largest population of Erect-crested Penguin, and the only breeding site of Salvin’s Albatross. These nest among each other, competing for space with New Zealand Fur Seals. Bounty Island Shag, the world's rarest shag species, breed here, and many birds flew out over the boat, often raising the question if we are watching the wildlife, or the wildlife was watching us?

The ship cruise gave excellent views of the Main Group and was close enough to see the enormous number of birds and seals who call the rocks home. Luckily, throughout the morning the weather improved and the fog lifted to reveal the entire island group. This further highlighted the barren and desolate nature of the islands, which support a huge biomass completely reliant on the nutrient rich surrounding ocean.

An attempt was made to do a Zodiac cruise, with Chris and Mike lowering a Zodiac into the water. Unfortunately, the rolling and pitching of the ship in the confused sea meant it was impossible to work the gangway, and any intention of doing a Zodiac cruise had to be abandoned.

Following a delayed lunch the ship departed the Bounties, and headed northwards towards the Chatham Islands. The stretch of water between the Bounties and the Chathams are recognised as one of the best seabird watching water crossings in the world, so the birders spent as much time as possible on deck with binoculars at the ready.

Day 5: Wednesday 17th March

Daybreak saw us 60 nautical miles south of the Chatham Islands, as the ship worked its way towards The Pyramid, the southernmost island of the group. The birders were up early, some even forgoing breakfast to spend as much time looking for Chatham Island Taiko or Magenta Petrel, with this stretch of the ocean often having sightings of this rare species.

The morning was spent heading north, during which Mike gave a lecture on the Chatham Island Taiko/Magenta Petrel, the world's rarest seabird, and the conservation efforts to save the species. Later in the morning, Chris and Mike teamed up to give a brief overview of the Chathams as a taster of what we were about to experience over the next few days around the archipelago.

After a fine lunch, the Chatham Islands came into view with The Pyramid slowly growing on our approach. The Pyramid is the only breeding ground of the Chatham Island Albatross, where 5,000 pairs breed, and is famous for the extremely high pedestal nests in the cave, which due to the protection from the elements, and the birds adding annually to their nests, have grown to over 1.3 metres high - the tallest albatross nests in the world.

As we approached The Pyramid, seabirds started gathering around our ship. This provided awesome photography opportunities as the birds approach within a few metres of the stern of the vessel.

Although there was a bit of a roll, the Captain circumnavigated The Pyramid enabling excellent views of the island, and the Chatham Island Albatross breeding there. Following this, the we headed north, up the west coast of Pitt Island, inside South East Island, around the north end of Pitt Island, across Pitt Strait and into anchor at Owenga, where we were tucked in out of the strong south westerlies.

In the sheltered anchorage, we celebrated a great introduction to the Chatham Islands, with a few drinks in the bar and a fine meal. Heading to bed full of anticipation for a day ashore on Chatham Island.

Day 6: Thursday 18th March

Many guests enjoyed their best night’s sleep of the voyage so far after overnighting in our sheltered anchorage off Owenga. Following breakfast there was a Zodiac shuttle to shore at the fishing harbour of Owenga, one of four fishing harbours on the Main Chatham Island. Here, we swapped our Zodiacs for buses, and set off on our first of two land-based days.

The first point of call was Manakau, and the statue of Tommy Solomon – widely referred to as the 'last full-blooded Moriori' – the statue really signifies the Moriori culture revitalisation of the 1980s following the publication of Michael King's book Moriori: A People Rediscovered. At this time, Moriori were reviving their cultural identity, customs and language and the statue was a part of this movement. Along with the memorial, on the coast below, there is a roost site of Chatham Island Shag, which provided excellent views of this endemic species.

From Owenga we headed towards Waitangi, but rather than heading into town, we turned off and took a back road through Te Matarae. Te Matarae runs between the Te Whanga Lagoon and then Lake Huro, and is an area with numerous limestone outcrops, it is a unique and interesting area of the island which is often missed as it is off the main road. The other reason for heading through Te Matarae, is that there is a feral population of Emu living and breeding throughout the area, making the Chatham’s bizarrely unique in that it is the only place in New Zealand where there is a wild Emu population – something our birders couldn’t pass up.

The mission was successful, with at least a dozen Emu seen.

Once back on State Highway One (AKA Main North Road) we headed out to the Basalt Columns. These black hexagonal columns were produced by the rapid cooling of lava underwater, which was then uplifted. With a 5-metre southwesterly swell rolling in around the point, the columns were at their dramatic best.

From the Basalt Columns, we headed further north to Nikau Bush, where among the forest we found a sheltered spot for lunch before walking up into the reserve to see the Nikau Palms, including the thousands of regenerating seedlings and young palms.

Continuing around the edge of Te Whanga Lagoon, the enormous brackish lagoon which dominates the central portion of Chatham Island, we stopped briefly at Ocean Mail Scenic Reserve. One could of mistaken they were actually in Rarotonga with the huge white sandy beach stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions.

The final stop was JM Barker (Hapupu) National Historic Reserve to view the Moriori tree carvings or dendroglyphs. Although these 'carvings' are not actually made by carving into the bark, but rather by bruising or indenting the bark without breaking it. Although no one is 100% certain what the carvings real meaning is, many depict human figures, and are likely memorials to ancestors or deceased family members.

From Hapupu it was onto the fishing settlement of Kaingaroa. Kaingaroa was the site of the first contact between Moriori and Europeans, when Lieutenant Broughton arrived at Chatham Island in 1791. Like so many first contacts, misunderstandings between the two cultures lead to the death of a Moriori and the original European name of Skirmish Bay.

Back on board Spirit of Enderby, we set sail for our safe, sheltered anchorage of Owenga for the night.

Day 7: Friday 19th March

In the early hours of the morning, we pulled anchor and headed across Pitt Strait towards Flowerpot Bay, the main landing and fishing harbour on Pitt Island, where we would spend most of the day ashore.

After breakfast, our local host Brent from the Flowerpot Lodge came on board to welcome us and give us an introduction to Pitt Island. Guests were then divided into five groups as the only van on Pitt Island carries just 10 people and would be shuttling each group across the island to Caravan Bush, a private covenant owned by the Preece family.

Once on land the shuttles began, with the remaining guests enjoying a Zodiac cruise along Paramatta Coast and out to Far Point.The coastline here is dominated by limestone, and over time due to the actions of sea and wind has been eroded into fascinating shapes, caves and rocky bluffs. At the base of Far Point are the remains of Fredrick Hunt’s Smugglers Cave where, in the late 1800’s, Hunt would hide tobacco and rum to beat custom duties before shipping this on to the New Zealand mainland for a tidy profit. We also explored a huge limestone cave with a large opening at the top which appeared as a natural skylight. Navigating our Zodiacs in the gap between Rabbit Island, we copped a bit more roll from the swell but enjoyed amazing views of Sail Rock, The Castle and Mangere and Little Mangere Islands.

On Pitt Island we drove across the island enjoying views of the central reserve, the largest on Pitt Island, and offshore over to South East Island and The Pyramid. We then headed to Caravan Bush where we stretched our legs with a one hour walk through the reserve spotting the birdlife of Pitt: endemic Chatham Island Warbler, Tomtit and Tui being seen in good numbers. A highlight was being shown Chatham Petrel by local tour guide Sam – there has been an ongoing conservation project here to re-establish Chatham Petrel from South East Island, and there are now more than 20 pairs breeding on Pitt.

With everyone back on board by mid afternoon, the Captain repositioned Spirit of Enderby off Mangere Island. Here we once again boarded the Zodiacs and headed for a cruise of the coastline of Robin Bush. Famous in the Black Robin conservation story, Robin Bush was the only bush that remained on Mangere Island as large boulders prevented the sheep being farmed there from gaining access. Although it is impossible to see Black Robin, we did spot a number of Forbes' Parakeet – a bird which is only found on Mangere and Little Mangere Island.

We headed back to our trusty expeditions ship in the early evening, on a fairly large swell, with an exciting short cut through the passage between Rabbit Island and the end of Far Point where the Spirit of Enderby was anchored in the shelter of Paramatta, and where we would spend the night.

Day 8: Saturday 20th March

Lifting anchor in the early hours, Spirit of Enderby headed around the northern end of Pitt Island to South East Island/Rangatira. After breakfast, we dropped anchor and boarded to the Zodiacs for a cruise of the island.

South East is one of the gems of the Chathams, home to over 1.5 million breeding seabirds and a huge array of endemic forest birds. The island was farmed until the 1960s, but the forest is regenerating and now more than 70% of the island is under forest cover.

Heading first to Watercress Bay, we enjoyed incredible views of Shore Plover as they fed along the shoreline, often being only a few metres from the Zodiacs. We then headed up along Thinornis Bay, around Seal Point and into Whaler’s Bay, the site of a short-lived shore-based whaling station and where a farmer had carved a rock pool further out to use as a sheep dip. From here we moved east, to the main landing used by the Department of Conservation. As the day warmed up and the sun came out, a huge number of Tui, Parakeet, Warbler and Tomtit were seen, and Black Robin could be heard calling, a testament to the great number of birds present on the island.

On the way back to the ship, Matt’s group had a close encounter with a New Zealand Fur Seal, which leapt over the bow of the Zodiac to the surprise of all inside.

Back on board we headed north sailing past the Star Keys, named after an American whaling and sealing ship. The Star Keys is part of one of New Zealand’s most interesting historical stories, which is almost totally unknown. The brig Glory dropped off a sealing gang on the island but was then wrecked on the reef at what is now known as Glory Bay on Pitt Island. The captain and some crew then sailed to New Zealand in a long boat, reaching the Bay of Islands and completing one of the longest open boat crossings in the world. They then hitched a ride to Sydney to raise the alarm, and arranged a ship to rescue the crew who ended up spending 9 months on the Star Keys.

After lunch we arrived at the Forty Fours, a small cluster of islands home to thousands of breeding Northern Royal and Buller's Albatross, and Northern Giant Petrel. The island is potted with sea caves, blow holes and a large tunnel that runs through the centre of the island. The Forty Fours are also the most eastern part of New Zealand, so as we circumnavigated the island, we were briefly the most easterly people resident in New Zealand!

As we headed back to the southern end of Chatham Island, Hamish gave a lecture on the history of the southern continent of Zealandia. The timing then had us off The Horns, and the south west corner of Chatham Island in the late afternoon, the best time to try and spot the critically endangered Chatham Island Taiko/Magenta Petrel which breeds deep inland from here. The ship spent an hour zig-zagging offshore in search of this bird. After almost giving up, a Taiko did appear behind the boat, and the 10 or so determined and stubborn birders were rewarded with brief views of the bird as it crossed the wake of the ship, twice, before disappearing.

The ship headed into anchor in Waitangi, the principal settlement and harbour of the Chatham Islands, where we enjoyed an excellent dinner and a safe sheltered anchorage for the night.

Day 9: Sunday 21st March

After a comfortable night at anchor in the shelter of the red bluffs of Waitangi, we woke to a calm sea and the smell of bacon cooking. After breakfast Zodiac shuttles to shore commenced at 0830 hours to the Waitangi wharf. The wharf was recently upgraded in a $60 million project allowing easier access for shipping vessels.

Once we were all ashore, we boarded our bus and vans provided by Hotel Chatham and headed out through town, passing the fish factory, Hotel Chatham, ANZ Bank and the Chatham Islands Museum and Council buildings on our way out the South Coast Road where good views along the basalt coastline of the south coast, and productive farmland were had.

At the floor of the Awatotara Valley we were greeted by inspirational landowners Bruce and Liz Tuanui, who shared stories of their amazing conservation efforts on their land, Tuku Farm. Here the couple has fenced off 11 areas to regenerate and have been the main reason for the recovery in Parea (Chatham Island Pigeon) numbers, and the driving force behind the Chatham Island Taiko Trust.

The more adventurous guests headed off on the 7-kilometre round trip walk to the bottom of the gully to the cove, and the steep walk back uphill. While others settled for a short work exploring the bush edge. A small group of guests loaded into two Hilux and headed further south to the Sweetwater predator-proof fenced reserve managed by the Taiko Trust, and were rewarded when they we able to see a young Taiko/Magenta Petrel chick in its burrow.

From the Awatotara we headed up to Kopinga Marae, the Moriori Marae, where Debbie Goomes provided an excellent overview of Moriori culture, customs, and history. Following which we were free to walk around the Marae and view the artworks, carvings and artifacts and the incredible vista the site has to offer over Lake Huro and Te Whanga Lagoon.

We then made our way back to Waitangi and the Spirit of Enderby, for our final night on board. Following Heritage Expeditions tradition, the evening started with a recap of our adventures in the lecture room, with a slideshow of the highlights of the trip prepared by Katja. A journey looking back at our time travelling from Bluff, out to the Antipodes looking for parakeets, north to The Bounty Islands - desolate rocks covered in penguins - and then up to the Chathams in search of two elusive petrel species. Along the way seeing a ton of incredible wildlife and scenery, all shared with the great company of new friends made. Our two chefs Lindzy and Lance then outdid themselves, preparing a supreme five-course meal. After dinner we retired to the bar for bubbles and a cheese board to continue reminiscing about our expedition and swapping stories. A relaxed way to end an incredible journey through some of the country’s most awe-inspiring natural treasures.

Day 10 Monday 22nd March

After packing our bags and leaving them outside our cabin doors for collection, we enjoyed a final breakfast together before farewelling our expedition team, crew and home away from home - our trusty expedition vessel Spirit of Enderby and transferring to the Chatham Islands/Tuuta Airport. After checking in, and clutching our handwritten boarding passes, we boarded our Air Chathams Convair for the flight west to Christchurch, our next adventure just beginning.